When one thinks of 4x4s in India, the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy instantly comes to mind. It is a bonafide off-roading legend in this country, having exceptional go-anywhere capabilities. It was also as barebones as vehicles could come, offering nothing that wasn’t essential for it to function. In fact, up until recently, the Gypsy was the mainstay of the Indian Armed Forces. Even though it has been out of general production for a while, the Gypsy still has a strong following and it has become a very good base for off-road enthusiasts to modify and add more aftermarket parts. Today we came across one such example. However, this one's tuned digitally.
Maruti Gypsy Rendered Into a 6X6 Off-Road Vehicle
The pictures of this Maruti Gypsy has been uploaded by kailas_m_chandrashekhar over on Instagram. The biggest change you’ll immediately notice are the new continuous tracks instead of regular wheels. Continuous tracks are usually made of interlinking chains, but the tracks of this Gypsy are made of rubber. Since tracks are inherently longer than tyres, it gives them a greater surface contact area which spreads the weight of the vehicle over a wider footprint. This gives a vehicle superior traction over soft surfaces like snow or sand and also reduces the chances of getting bogged down. Other changes to this Gypsy include a jacked-up ride height courtesy of updated suspension, bucket seats, an external rollover hoop with auxiliary lamps, and a further set of auxiliary lights that sit below the front bumper.
This Police Maruti Gypsy Has Been Elegantly Restored [Video]
Maruti Gypsy in its updated King version was offered with a 1.3-litre naturally aspirated engine which made 82 PS and 103 Nm of peak power and max torque, respectively. It came mated to a 5-speed manual. It was also a featherweight as it weighed only 985 kilos. The Gypsy was based on the second generation Suzuki Jimny but got a longer wheelbase. Its successor, the Suzuki Jimny that is sold abroad comes with a modern 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine that makes 105 PS of peak power against 138 Nm of max torque. This 4-cylinder power plant comes paired to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed auto, with a low-range transfer case coming as standard across both versions.